The weekend special on
GOG.com this week is a Broken Sword Bundle that includes
Broken Sword: The Smoking Mirror and
Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon for $9.98. Word is: "To receive the
discount just buy both games in one order. To do so, place both games in your
cart or simply click here, before proceeding to payment. If you already have one
of the games, you can grab the other title with a $1.00 discount." Also,
GOG.com has a surprise
addition of Far Cry to this online DRM-free game distributor, offering
Crytek's first FPS for $9.99. There's also a game of the weekend deal on
GamersGate offering Frontlines Fuel of War for 50% off at $14.99.
Finally, the weekend deal on
Steam is Tomb Raider: Anniversary for 75% off, which comes to $5.00.

I enjoyed Legend the most, with Anniversary a close second. The former is a bit more plot/character driven with a lot more dialogue, while the latter being a remake of the original, is more puzzle oriented. Underworld is by far the weakest of the three, but probably still worth getting to complete the "trilogy".

Agreed for the most part. Legend was more action-oriented than either Anniversary or Underworld. Anniversary was more puzzle-oriented, which I prefer because the action in TR is pretty crappy. Underworld is more puzzle-oriented than Legend, except the puzzles aren't particularly challenging or interesting. And the action is still crap. The artifact hunting was done best in Anniversary. In Legend, the hardest part was simply finding the hidden artifacts. Same goes for Underworld. In Anniversary, they weren't that hard to find but actually retrieving them was the challenging part. Underworld was also sorely lacking in unlockable content. There were no bonus costumes, no time trials, no mansion, etc.

We're pleased to announce that Update 2.0 for X3: Terran Conflict, which features The Aldrin Missions, is now available for download from Egosoft.com.

After a few months of patient waiting since Update 1.4, players of X3: Terran Conflict can now get their hands on the 2.0 patch. This update, which has undergone more widespread testing than is normally the case, features not only an extension to the original Terran Conflict story, but also a new ship variation, new sectors to explore, Terran stations to build and much more adventure!

The Terran Conflict development team and our network of betatesters have been conducting their own version of Operation Final Fury against some of the niggling issues that our community has brought to our attention. Universe Traders, propping up bars in local trading stations, got a swift kick up the backside to get them back to work. The OTAS Boreas has undergone some much-needed balancing. A number of other key issues have also been addressed, including improved support for PCs equipped with more than 2GB of RAM.

Terran Conflict players who bought their game from Steam are reminded that their Steam client will automatically update the game and that there is no need to download the patch from Egosoft.com.

Owners of the X3: Terran Conflict PC-DVD (versions 1.0.1 to 1.4) are invited to download the 2.0 patch from here.

While you all download and start to enjoy X3: Terran Conflict 2.0, you can be assured that we at Egosoft will keep on beavering away, possibly at another little update called 2.1!

IMPORTANT NOTE: During the final packing of the 2.0 patch a data error occured, the effect of which did not become apparent until after the patch was released. This error has now been corrected and new versions of the patch will be offered as version 2.0a. For those who have already applied the 2.0 patch a smaller hotfix (version 2.0a) will be available. We apologise for any inconvenience this causes and hope it does not affect your enjoyment of the game.

There is additional news on X3: Terran Conflict 2.0, as well as other news, in Edition 36 of the X-Universe News.

I've been wanting to pick up a new TR, which one is better though? This one, or Underworld? Or even Legend?

Anyone who has played them all know?

I enjoyed Legend the most, with Anniversary a close second. The former is a bit more plot/character driven with a lot more dialogue, while the latter being a remake of the original, is more puzzle oriented. Underworld is by far the weakest of the three, but probably still worth getting to complete the "trilogy".

The main difficulty I had was in the massive level with the huge pillar in the middle and several big rooms adjacent to it that each held a key needed to progress (looking at a walkthrough, I think it was Egypt - Obelisk of Khamoon)

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's the one I got lost in as well. I think I did one of the puzzles in the wrong order and that meant it didn't make sense where I was meant to go... I seem to remember a slope that turned into stairs. But yeah, some of the levels were absolutely massive.

I don't recommend GamersGate service...I tried it last week for the first time, and they took my money and didn't give me the game.

I ordered Bionic Commando Rearmed from GamersGate and didn't have any problems, though I much prefer Steam.

Ray, I hear ya on the disturbing lack of good full price games. I enjoyed DoW2, but still found it lacking (and poorly executed).

I guess FEAR2 was pretty good, at least I enjoyed it. It was long enough too, for me, so that was worth it for me.

I really enjoyed DOWII, both singleplayer and multiplayer (though the matchmaking / netcode is pretty shocking).

I guess the next full price game coming out that I'm getting is either Dark Athena or Sims 3.

I have my eye on both, though I don't know whether we'll see a UK Steam release for either. Other than that Anno 1404 looks sweet and Street Fighter IV, if it doesn't have limited activations, is a certain, while FUEL is a maybe and further away DiRT2 and Formula One 2009 (GRID engine) are very likely. Not forgetting epic titles like Starcraft II and Ep3, which are expected late this year, early next year.

Ray, I hear ya on the disturbing lack of good full price games. I enjoyed DoW2, but still found it lacking (and poorly executed).

I guess FEAR2 was pretty good, at least I enjoyed it. It was long enough too, for me, so that was worth it for me. Other than that it's been pretty quiet. Empire : Total War is probably well worth the money, but after reading that unit AI is STILL completely retarded I decided against it.

I guess the next full price game coming out that I'm getting is either Dark Athena or Sims 3.

I don't recommend GamersGate service...I tried it last week for the first time, and they took my money and didn't give me the game. Their support is terrible. Told me to contact the payment service (Paynova) and Paynova told me to contact GamersGate. I'm still stuck in this endless support loop.

Ubisoft wants to sell the first part as a remake on the DS and the Wii. I presume, they bought the rights entirely from Revolution or they bought some kind of timed exclusive, so that after a year or two, Revolution can allow GOG and others to officialy sell BS1.

Same with the level design - most of it is very intuitive but others can leave you wandering about lost. I found myself using the Steam overlay to access a guide for a few parts; the overlay is brilliant because you can even watch YouTube videos.

The main difficulty I had was in the massive level with the huge pillar in the middle and several big rooms adjacent to it that each held a key needed to progress (looking at a walkthrough, I think it was Egypt - Obelisk of Khamoon). That must have been one of the biggest indoor levels of all time. I got lost a few times in that one.

I like the Steam overlay too, but I wish it wouldn't redirect input from games like X3:TC. Time compression in that game gets interrupted when you hit any key, which includes bringing up the overlay. In any case, it's probably nothing Steam can change, but rather it's a fault with the game itself.

Get Anniversary. It really is the best Tomb Raider game released in the last few years. It takes the old, fun game full of exploration and updates it with modern graphics technology.

Underworld could have been an absolutely amazing game, but it takes at least one step backward for every step forward. It is okay, but really short and extremely uneven. It's a shame, too, because you can see it had such potential in certain levels.

Legend is still a very good game, but it is bogged down by some of the "new" aspects of the series (terribad story, combat, etc.) Anniversar is just so good and pure to the Tomb Raider roots that Legend, even though very good, just pales in comparison.

$5 is definitely a steal, especially for anybody that has ever enjoyed the Tomb Raider franchise. I do not see it converting any haters to the franchise - it really does focus on the core strengths of the franchise - but it is their loss.

Meanwhile, where are all the new games? Something that I will rush out to pay $50 for? I am burning through all of the recently discounted games (Mass Effect, Prince of Persia, Assassin's Creed, Far Cry 2, F.E.A.R. 2, Tomb Raider: Underworld, Unreal Tournament 3) but nothing has really amazed me of late.

I did enjoy Mirror's Edge, but it definitely was not worth the money, was really short, and quite flawed (combat, story.) From there, even with the eventual "god" moment, Fallout 3 was the last really enjoyable full price purchase I have made.

With all my skepticism, I was kind of hoping Dark Athena might prove me wrong, but all of the reviews have made made it clear to me that it will end up being another budget purchase...

What sort of save system does TR:A PC use? If checkpoint, are they annoyingly far apart?

It's fine for the majority of the game but goes ridiculous at certain points for no reason. It can be infuriating but it's definitely worth playing. Same with the level design - most of it is very intuitive but others can leave you wandering about lost. I found myself using the Steam overlay to access a guide for a few parts; the overlay is brilliant because you can even watch YouTube videos.

I've been wanting to pick up a new TR, which one is better though? This one, or Underworld? Or even Legend?

They're all worth playing. However, Legend is the weakest. Underworld improves the gameplay mechanics and considerably improves the graphics but the settings and puzzles are less original and it is shorter. Anniversary is a brilliant game and is a very decent length but there are some incredibly irritating moments where the controls and the auto-save system work against you.

Basically, pick up Anniversary. At this price it's an absolute steal. If you enjoy it then grab the other two. The stories all connect together to a degree, so if you're really fussy about that you should start from the beginning (Legend). I loved all three... I grabbed them all a few months ago and had a brilliant time playing through them all.